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By Phil Brozynski
Illprepvb.com Editor
Now that the local teams have returned from sunny California and last weekend’s 2024 SoCal Cup: The Open Championship at the Los Angeles Convention Center, it’s time to look forward to the end of the month and a trip up I-94 to Milwaukee and the 2024 AAU/JVA Brew City Battle.
The Brew City Battle on January 27-28 at the Wisconsin Center In Milwaukee is the last major boys’ tournament before teams break for the IHSA spring season. In addition to local crews, it was also feature teams from High Performance in St. Louis, the St. James Boys, the Academy and others.
Meanwhile, here are the latest Michio Chicago VBA/Illprepvb.com Boys Club Volleyball Rankings:
18’s
1. SPVB B18 Elite (1) 25-7
Despite a day one loss to PAC 18 McKay (Pinnacle Athletic Club, Long Beach, California), SPVB advanced to the Gold bracket round of 16 at the 2024 SoCal Cup: The Open Championship at the Los Angeles Convention Center last weekend, where the Aurora boys were eliminated from further contention by ACAD Boys 18 Red (Long Island, New York), 25-20, 25-22, to finish 5-2 and tied for ninth place. SPVB 18 Elite is 7-0 outside Cole Hartke (Barrington), 6-2 setter Jack Anderson (Glenbard West), 6-7 outside Jack Mally (Geneva), 6-5 outside Jake Schreiner (Wheaton North), 6-2 defensive specialist JT McCormick (St. Francis), 6-7 outside Kaden Saurer (Elgin Academy), 6-5 setter Kyle Zediker (St. Francis), 6-6 middle hitter Tristan Benbow (Bolingbrook), 6-0 libero Andrew Ellis, 6-1 setter Mark Gheorghita, 6-6 middle hitter Christopher Mactal and 6-6 junior opposite/rightside Vincent Spadoni.
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
2. MOD Elite B18 Blue (6) 24-13
A pair of three-set losses – to Academy 18 Adidas (Indianapolis, Indiana) in pool play and to MVC 18-Jake in the Gold semifinals – left MOD at 3-2 and in third place of the 18 Open division at the Midwest Boys Point Series #1 in Milwaukee in mid-December. Last weekend at the 2024 SoCal Cup: The Open Championship in Los Angeles, MOD reached the round of 16 in the 18 Open division before falling to Balboa Bay 18 Blue (Newport Beach, California), 25-22, 25-11, to finish 6-2 and tied for ninth. MOD is 6-2 outside hitter Kristofer Blumberg (Glenbrook South), 5-10 setter Nathan Chi (Loyola Academy), libero/defensive specialist Stefans Kins (Loyola Academy), 5-6 setter James Ganzorig (Glenbrook South), middle blocker Hudson Nachtwey (New Trier), 6-4 outside hitter Benjamin Trapp (Loyola), 6-8 outside hitter David Wolff (New Trier), 6-4 middle hitter Griffin Killeen (Highland Park), Ethan Blakeslee, Sean Hoper, Jack Lopez and David Synovic.
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
3. 630 Volleyball 18-1 (2) 27-10
A fast start was followed by a disastrous day two at the 2024 SoCal Cup: The Open Championship at the Los Angeles Convention Center last weekend, where the Lisle crew finished 5-3 and tied for 28th place in the 18 Open division. This in the heels of a fifth-place finish at the Midwest Boys Point Series #1 in Milwaukee in mid-December, where 630 lost to MVC 18-Jake (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), 25-19, 21-25, 15-13, in the quarterfinals. 630 features5-11 libero Lincoln Geist (Downers Grove North), 6-3 opposite Adam Graham (Glenbard West), 6-3 setter Quinn Marron (Hinsdale South), 6-6 outside hitter Luka Kostic (Lyons), 6-2 setter Quinn Bozarth (Oak Park-River Forest), 6-5 middle hitter Adam Janowiak (Downers Grove North), and 6-6 outside hitter Aidan Weltin (Glenbard East), Braxton Francis, middle hitter David Hill (Buffalo Grove) and defensive specialist Zaccary Ruiz.
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
4. SPVB B18 Lenny (3) 20-13
Lenny broke even at the 2024 SoCal Cup: The Open Championship at the Los Angeles Convention Center last weekend, finishing 4-4 in the 18 Open division and beating TStreet LV 18 Trevor (Irvine, California), 25-21, 23-25, 15-7, to win Bronze Bracket A and place 28th. One of Lenny’s four losses was at the hands of SPVB 18 Elite in a day two pool. SPVB B18 Lenny features 6-5 outside Dallas Birkenbeuel (Academy for the Arts), 6-6 middle hitter Xzavion Willett (Glenbard West), 5-6 libero Tyler Vasquez (Waubonsie Valley), 6-2 setter Jack Anderson (Glenbard West), 6-3 outside Casey Maas (Glenbard West), 6-5 outside hitter Jack Bute (York), 5-10 setter Carson Cruver, 6-1 outside hitter Ryan Da Silva, 6-4 middle hitter Xander Horst, 6-5 middle hitter Harrison Moran, 5-11 defensive specialist Nathan Stone and 6-0 outside hitter Trevor Wardlow (Bolingbrook).
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
5. Blue Steel 18 Black (4) 23-9
Blue Steel went 2-3 at the Midwest Boys Point Series #2 in Hamilton, Ohio on January 6-7, falling to A2 18 Red (Lewis Center, Ohio), Academy 18 Adidas (Indianapolis, Indiana) and MKE Sting 18-1 (Milwaukee, Wisconsin). Looking to bounce back later this month in Milwaukee are 6-3 middle Nathan Finck (O’Fallon), 6-1 junior setter Riley Massey (St. Louis DeSmet), 5-7 libero Ben Meyers (St. Louis Affton High School), middle hitter Jack Byers (Belleville East), setter Keegan Rose (Belleville East), middle hitter Caleb Day, junior leftside Lucas Gebhardt, rightside hitter Jacob Williams, middle hitter Brett Meek, rightside hitter Evan Strahlendorf and defensive specialist Sam Meyer.
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
6. Adversity VBC 18 Adidas (5) 27-13
A loss to FVP B18 Justice National (Sherwood, Wisconsin) exiled Adversity to the Silver bracket at the Midwest Boys Point Series #1 in Milwaukee in mid-December, where it defeated Academy 18 Adidas (Indianapolis, Indiana), 25-22, 25-21, in its finale to place ninth. A month later in California, Adversity finished 5-3 and in 46th place in the 18 Open division of the 2024 SoCal Cup: The Open Championship at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Heading to Milwaukee later this month are 5-8 libero Maxwell Adkisson (Vernon Hills), 6-2 middle blocker Gabriel Bialek (Stevenson), 6-5 middle hitter Gavin Rohlwing (Barrington), 6-3 outside hitter Erik Stover (Lakes), 6-1 setter Brian Kim (Vernon Hills), Onon Bayasakh (Stevenson), 6-1 outside hitter Joshua Cahill (Vernon Hills), 6-5 outside/middle hitter Landon Diaz (Waukegan), Logan Kim and outside hitter Omer Naveed (Hinsdale Central).
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
7. Ultimate B18 Gold (7) 19-13
Ultimate B18 Gold took a month off after defeating Sky High Adidas B18-1, 25-20, 25-16, to win the 18 Club division at the Great Lakes Boys Regional Championships in mid-December at the Wintrust Sports Arena in Bedford Park. Ready to get back after it in Milwaukee at the end of the month are 6-0 setter Evan Dziadkowiec (Lockport), libero Mitchell Carrera (Oak Forest), 6-4 middle blocker Hunter Carroll (Lake Central, Indiana), Ethan Kuziela, 6-4 middle blocker Jack Meador (Marist), 6-3 outside hitter Connor Jaral (Lincoln-Way West), 5-9 defensive specialist Noah Konopack (Lincoln-Way West), 5-10 outside hitter Luke Brannigan (Marist), 6-1 outside hitter Trey Marek (Lincoln-Way East), 6-5 middle hitter Adrian Pitzele (Whitney Young) and 6-0 outside hitter Seth Williams (Whitney Young).
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
8. Sky High Adidas B18-1 (8) 19-13
Sky High has been on sabbatical from the boys’ circuit since finishing second in the 18 Club division at the Great Lakes Boys Regional Championships in mid-December. Sky High went 5-2 at the Wintrust Sports Complex in Bedford Park, with both losses coming at the hands of Ultimate B18 Gold, the latter in the championship match of the Gold bracket, 25-20, 25-16. Joining the pilgrimage to Milwaukee later this month are 6-5 junior setter Wyatt Jones (Lake Zurich), 6-4 junior outside hitter Ben Miller (Vernon Hills), outside hitter Michael Schofield (Carmel), setter Xander Ikusz (Carmel), defensive specialist Luke Burkhalter (Carmel), Beau Konieczny, 5-9 outside hitter Samual Radaj (Warren), Kyle Scott, Gavin Shelagowski, Jacob Strahan and 5-9 defensive specialist/libero Piota Wolan (Warren).
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
9. UNO Boys 18 Elite (9) 16-12
UNO headed east last month to compete in the Rust Bucket AAU Super Regional in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where the Joliet crew finished ninth after a 20-25, 25-20, 15-9 loss to Team LVC Boys 18U Black (East Greenbush, New York), a team it had beaten earlier in pool play, in a Round 2 challenge match. Heading north up I-94 later this month are 6-8 rightside/opposite Joshua Bluhm (Lockport), 6-2 setter Landon Brouwer (Joliet West), Thomas Fellows (Joliet West), libero Joshua Kiely (Oswego East), 5-10 libero Aldrin Rodriguez (Lockport), 6-2 outside Oskar Skurski (Lockport), 6-1 setter/rightside hitter Miles Czerkies (Joliet Catholic), 6-8 middle hitter Payton Hastings (Oswego East), 6-2 setter/rightside hitter Tarendran Heyward (Homewood-Flossmoor), 6-0 setter/rightside hitter Justin McGary (Marian Catholic) and 6-2 junior outside hitter Jayce Moore (Minooka).
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
10. Pipeline 18-1 (10) 16-18
Was it kismet? Pipeline was among the many Illinois teams that competed in the 2024 SoCal Cup: The Open Championship at the Los Angeles Convention Center last weekend where it went 3-5 and finished in 48th place in the 18 Open division. Who did Pipeline play in its final match? Another Pipeline team. This one, Pipeline Boys 18 Adidas Joe (Corona, California), toppled the Schaumburg six, 21-25, 25-20, 15-8. Schaumburg’s Pipeline features 6-7 middle blocker Andrew Ciesinski (Willowbrook), 6-3 opposite Jack Cioni (Fremd), 6-1 outside hitter Brian Cochran (Fremd), outside hitter Nicholas Delucia (Hersey), 6-8 middle blocker Nicholas Gutka (Conant), 6-9 opposite Michael Hansen (Fremd), setter Carter Luecht (Schaumburg), 5-5 libero Dillon Magsino (Hoffman Estates), middle hitter William Markworth (Hersey), 6-2 outside hitter Eddie Muller (St. Francis) and 5-9 defensive specialist Christopher Rojas (St. Francis).
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
Other teams of note (in alphabetical order): 630 Volleyball 18-2 (22-16), Forza Boys 18 Black (17-8), Future 18-Elite (16-14), Hybrid Advantage B18-1 (15-13), MOD Elite B18 Gold (22-16), SPVB B18 Alpha (22-11), SPVB B18 Delta (25-4).
17’s
1. 630 Volleyball 17-1 (1) 27-9
630 Volleyball 17-1, which survived Adversity South 17 Adidas, 23-25, 25-23, 16-14, to win the 17 Open division at the Midwest Boys Point Series #1 in Milwaukee in mid-December, found the going even tougher at the 2024 SoCal Cup: The Open Championship last weekend, where it lost to Coast 17 Victor (San Diego, California), 20-25, 25-21, 15-9, in the quarterfinals to finish fifth in the 17 Open division. 630 is 5-11 outside hitter Aris Mauraskas (Benet Academy), 6-4 outside hitter Aidan Akkawi (Downers Grove North) 6-2 middle Dylan Quinn (Downers Grove North) 6-2 outside hitter Charles Clifford (Glenbard West), 6-1 setter Harrison Hughes (Hinsdale Central), 5-11 libero/defensive specialist Gavin Reina (Downers Grove North), 6-1 setter Alexander Venes (Plainfield South), 6-5 middle hitter Tyler Chambers (Lyons), 6-2 outside hitter Aidan Decker (Nazareth Academy), 6-4 Emilio Lagunes (Plainfield South) and 6-4 middle hitter Quinn Leahy (Downers Grove North).
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
2. Adversity South 17 Adidas (2) 23-14
Adversity South 17 Adidas, which survived homestanding MKE Sting 17-1, 25-21, 19-25, 15-12, in the semifinals, dropped a heartbreaking 23-25, 25-23, 16-14 decision to 630 Volleyball 17-1 in the finals of the 17 Open division at the Midwest Boys Point Series #1 in Milwaukee in mid-December. Then earlier this month, Adversity competed in the 18 Open division at the 2024 AAU Windy City Boys Grand Prix, where it split with FVP B18 Justice National (Sherwood, Wisconsin) and lost to MVC 18-Jake in the finals. Adversity is 6-4 outside hitter Nathen Toth (Marist), 6-0 setter Christian Teresi (Marist), 6-2 outside hitter Devlin Biggs (Marist), libero Andrew Flores, 6-4 leftside hitter Matthew Muehlnickel (Lincoln-Way East), leftside hitter Rorey Donnelly (Marist), setter Easton Donausky (Sandburg), middle/outside hitter Hunter Vedder (Lincoln-Way West) and outside hitter Oisin Walsh (Oak Lawn).
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
3. Pipeline 17-1 (4) 16-15
The weather in California must have really agreed with the Schaumburg boys, who shook off a 25-17, 25-19 loss to Miami United 17 National Emilio on day one of the 2024 SoCal Cup: The Open Championship last weekend to win its next five matches and advance to the quarterfinals of the 17 Open division before losing to HVA 17 Performance Red (Houston, Texas), 25-14, 25-20, finishing 6-2 and tied for fifth place. Pipeline features 5-11 outside hitter Eli Rodda (Barrington), 5-11 setter Ermuun Batchuluun (Naperville North), libero Luke Bonacci (Lake Park), 6-4 middle blocker Carter Gibbons (Lake Park), 6-4 middle blocker Matt Louis (Barrington), outside hitter Ethan Garst (Fremd), outside hitter Mergen Purevsuren (Wheaton Warrenville South), opposite John Sun (Barrington), outside hitter Leo Trespeces-Winck (Maine South), outside hitter Ethan Howell (South Elgin) and 5-10 setter Adrian Wu (Barrington).
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
4. Adversity 17 Adidas (3) 21-15
Adversity bounced back after a 1-2 start on day one of the 2024 SoCal Cup: The Open Championship at the Los Angeles Convention Center last weekend to win all three of its matches on day two and eventually finish 5-3 and in 31st place in the 17 Open division. This came on the heels of a fifth-place finish at the Midwest Boys Point Series #1 in mid-December, where Adversity reached the Gold quarterfinals before losing to MKE Sting 17-1, 25-20, 18-25, 16-14. Adversity is 6-3 rightside hitter Henry Brandenberger (New Trier), 6-3 leftside hitter Gabe Schwartz (Lake Zurich), 6-3 setter Ryan Cook (Prospect), 5-10 freshman libero Jackson Kern (Libertyville), 6-4 middle hitter Matthew Okladlo (Stevenson), 6-3 middle hitter Kevin Mann (Mundelein), outside hitter Benjamin Boron (Grayslake Central), Atticus Gurel and outside hitter Chanjun “Tony” Hwang (Stevenson).
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
5. Hybrid Advantage 171 (5) 10-18
Due to numerous flight cancellations which grounded its attempts to get to California for the 2024 SoCal Cup last weekend, Hybrid last competed in the Midwest Boys Point Series #1 in Milwaukee in mid-December, where it lost its finale to Adversity 17 Adidas, 25-20, 27-25, 15-6, to finish 2-3 and tied for seventh place in the 17 Open division. Heading up I-94 to Milwaukee again in a few days are rightside hitter Matt Rahn (Marist), 6-0 outside hitter Zach Mikrut (Brother Rice), Tommy Doherty, 6-2 middle blocker Vaughn Goberville (Brother Rice), 6-1 rightside hitter John Mikrut (Brother Rice), libero Ryne Collins (Brother Rice), 6-0 outside hitter Paul Baker (Brother Rice), middle blocker Nathaniel Klinger, defensive specialist/libero Jerry Fitzgerald, Gavin Arnold, 5-7 setter George Escobarete (Brother Rice) and setter Matt Phelan.
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
6. MOD Elite B17 Blue (6) 19-19
MOD just can’t seem to get over the .500 mark. Last weekend at the 2024 SoCal Cup: The Open Championship in Los Angeles, MOD defeated Crown City 17 Kings (Pasadena, California), 25-22, 25-23, to finish 4-4 and in 38th place in the 17 Open division. Earlier last month, MOD competed in the Midwest Boys Point Series #1 in Milwaukee where it finished 3-3 and in 10th place in the 17 Open division. Hoping to break that trend in a few days when they return to Milwaukee are setter Joseph Jackier (New Trier), setter Albert Ontogtokh (Maine East), libero Keenan Roderick (New Trier), middle hitter Landon Bujdei (Maine East), William Elias, Zolboo Erdene, Lucas King, 6-4 rightside hitter Kaloyan Mirtchev (Evanston), 6-5 middle hitter Tate Myatt (Lane Tech), 6-7 middle hitter Alexander Ortloff (Elk Grove), Isaiah Paek and middle hitter John Walega (Maine South).
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
7. Sky High Adidas B17-1 (NR) 18-11
The Crystal Lake crew rolled through its first five matches in the 17 Club division at the Great Lakes Boys Regional Championships last month at the Wintrust Sports Arena to reach the championship match opposite Ultimate B18 Gold. Sky High prevailed in a tough three-setter, 25-22, 22-25, 15-8. Sky High, which will join the exodus to Milwaukee later this month, features 6-0 outside hitter Charles Signa Robison (Antioch), 6-1 middle hitter Jarrett Chico (Mundelein), 6-3 middle hitter Jordan Coughlin (Libertyville), 6-4 opposite Wesley Cowell (Warren), 6-3 setter Graham Foerster (Westosha, Wisconsin), outside hitter George Hollenstein (Grayslake Central), libero Justin Howell, middle hitter Jackson Rowe, outside hitter Logan Smith, Aarav Bamrolia and Bryce Tupaz.
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
8. Ultimate B17 Gold (7) 19-17
Ultimate competed in the 2024 BWVC Presented by First Point last weekend at McCormick Place, where it closed out the weekend with a 25-21, 30-28 victory over Sportime 17-1 (Bethpage, New York) to finish 3-4 and in sixth place in the 17 Open division. Last month, the Frankfort crew reached the finals of the 17 Club division at the Great Lakes Boys Regional Championships before falling to Sky High Adidas 17-1, 25-22, 22-25, 15-7, to place second. Ultimate is 5-10 outside hitter Colin Alvers (Lincoln-Way Central), 6-5 rightside/middle hitter Jeremiah Aro (Sandburg), 6-0 setter Ryan Dziadkowiec (Lockport), 6-2 outside/rightside hitter Marco Jasso (Joliet Central), libero Andrew Lubinski (Providence Catholic), Mason Marnul, 6-0 outside hitter Ahmad Powell (Homewood-Flossmoor), Jonathan Snider (Sandburg), Konrad Swierczek (Lincoln-Way East) and Hunter Tabor (Lincoln-Way East).
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
9. Blue Steel 17 Black (8) 16-16
Maybe Blue Steel just got … spooked. The last time out in mid-December, the boys from southern Illinois ventured to the Midwest Boys Point Series #1 at the Spooky Nook Facility (yes, that’s what it’s called) in Hamilton, Ohio, where they won two of their final three matches to finish 2-4 and place 18th in the 17s division. Next up is a trip to Milwaukee for defensive specialist Jack Toennies, 5-11 middle hitter Max Westphal (O’Fallon), leftside hitter Cam Ely (Alton), libero Drew Neutzling (Belleville East), middle hitter Jack Byers (Belleville East), setter Keegan Rose (Belleville East), 6-5 freshman middle hitter Abe Kniepkamp, 5-9 leftside hitter Jacob Kulp (O’Fallon), rightside hitter Tyce Watson (Belleville East), defensive specialist Brayden Wallis and leftside hitter Micah Swank.
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
Other teams of note (in alphabetical order): Club 1 B17 Skronkstrong (12-16), Future 17-Elite (7-24), UNO Boys 17 Elite (9-18), VC United B171 Elite (16-8).
16’s
1. SPVB B16 Elite (1) 28-4
A 25-23, 25-16 loss to MOD Elite B16 Blue, a team it had beaten three times earlier this season, coupled with a 25-22, 25-21 loss to eventual champion Balboa Bay 16 Blue (Newport Beach, California) in Round 2 pool play exiled the Aurora crew to the Bronze bracket of the 16 Open division at the 2024 SoCal Cup: The Open Championship in Los Angeles last weekend, where they defeated 630 Volleyball 16-1, 25-15, 25-14, to finish 6-2 and in 22nd place. SPVB is 6-2 outside Benjamin Brown (York), 5-8 libero/defensive specialist Nathan Thach (Oswego East), 5-11 outside Simon Bratt (Wheaton Warrenville South), 6-7 middle hitter Robbie Ruthig (Naperville Central),6-2 setter/rightside Adam Hartung (Naperville North), 5-10 outside hitter Sean Jansen, 5-9 freshman defensive specialist Nick Norkus, 5-10 outside hitter Aarush Singh, 6-3 freshman outside hitter Liam Smith, 6-4 middle hitter Otis Yahn (Glenbard West), Peter Dey and 6-7 setter/rightside Grayson Covay (Oswego).
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
2. 630 Volleyball 16-1 (2) 23-15
After reaching the championship match of the 16 Open division at the Midwest Boys Point Series #1 in Milwaukee last month and finishing 5-1 and in second place, 630 ventured to the 2024 SoCal Cup: The Open Championship in Los Angeles last weekend where the Lisle boys fell to SPVB B16 Elte, 25-15, 25-14, in the tournament finale to finish 3-5 and in 24th place. 630 is 5-10 outside hitter Luke Bachman (Glenbard West), 6-2 middle hitter Wesley Kochendorfer (Oak Park-River Forest), defensive specialist Henry Ohlhoff, 5-11 setter Matthew Proskey (Oak Park-River Forest), 5-6 setter Andrew Fanella (Glenbard West), 6-3 opposite/middle hitter Aaron Grey (Community North), 6-0 outside Brody Lee-Caracci (Lyons Township), 5-4 libero/defensive specialist Brendan Markey (Glenbard West), 6-3 middle Aidan McIntyre (Lemont), 5-7 libero/defensive specialist Marty O’Brien (Whitney Young) and 5-11 outside Aidan Syswerda (Wheaton North).
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
3. MOD Elite B16 Blue (3) 24-14
A 25-23, 25-16 victory over SPVB B16 Elite was 630’s only win in Round 2 pool play at the 2024 SoCal Cup: The Open Championship in Los Angeles last weekend, but it was enough to send the north shore crew past the top locals and into the Silver bracket, where a 25-18, 25-22 loss to Torimar 16-1 (San Juan, Puerto Rico) left it at 4-4 overall and in 19th place. Earlier, MOD went 4-1 and placed fifth in the 16 Open division at the Midwest Boys Point Series #1 in Milwaukee, losing to 630 Volleyball 16-1, 19-25, 25-20, 15-10, in the Gold bracket quarterfinals. MOD is middle hitter Trey Gottschild (Glenbrook North), middle hitter Kai Kroth (DePaul College Prep), setter Devin Lee (Glenbrook North), outside hitter Ryan Lee (Glenbrook South), outside hitter Oliver Potterfield (New Trier), middle hitter Daniel Radev (Glenbrook South), libero Lukas Slesers (Libertyville), Jimmie Chrusfield III, Jaiden Han, Matthew Miechowicki and Sean Scheppach.
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
4. Future 16-Elite (4) 15-16
A 2-4 start exiled Future to Flight 3A of the 16 Open division on day three of the 2024 SoCal Cup: The Open Championship in Los Angeles last weekend, where it won its final two matches, including a 25-18, 25-22 victory over NorCal 16-1 (Livermore, California), to finish 4-4 and tied for 43rd place. Casting their eyes to Milwaukee at the end of the month are outside hitter/defensive specialist Matthew Almonte, setter/opposite Joseph Claud, middle hitter Nolan Cocat, libero/defensive specialist Jake Hayes, libero/defensive specialist Zach Heilers, outside hitter Nathan Lynch, setter Tomas Makishima, opposite Cooper Meadows, setter/opposite Matynas Pelesinas, middle blocker Alex Scribner, outside hitter Joshua Trentham and outside hitter Peter Zgutowicz.
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
5. Pipeline 16-1 (5) 15-10
Things could not have started worse for Pipeline at the 2024 SoCal Cup: The Open Championship in Los Angeles last weekend, where the Schaumburg outfit lost its first five matches. Buit Pipeline recovered to win its final three matches, including a 25-19, 25-22 decision over OCVC 16-1 (Ladera Ranch, California) in the Flight 3B final, to finish 3-5 and tied for 43rd place. Pipeline is setter Kamil Mroziak (Leyden), setter David Otgonbat (Fremd), outside hitter Nelson Arteta (Maine South), outside hitter Alexander Paz (Streamwood), outside hitter Kuba Scigalski (Hoffman Estates), middle blocker Josh Yang (Conant), middle blocker Ethan Schnabel (Lake Park), opposite Joe Abraham (Buffalo Grove), libero Mateusz Bartoszewicz (Bartlett), libero Spencer Cruz (Hoffman Estates) and libero Aidan Gilmore (Barrington).
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
6. MOD Elite B16 Gold (NR) 19-17
MOD Elite B16 Gold romped through the 16 Club field at the 2024 SoCal Cup: The Open Championship in Los Angeles last weekend, winning 12 consecutive sets without a loss and advancing to the Gold bracket quarterfinals with a 25-17, 25-19 victory over NorCal 16-2 (Livermore, California) before suffering a gut-wrenching 19-25, 25-19, 19-17 loss to OTT VBC 16-1 (Clovis, California). Going 7-1 and tying for fifth place in the 16 Club division were leftside Drew Bevan, libero Aldis Kins, leftside Patrick Lim, setter Martin Nguyen, leftside Aadi Chandak, leftside Alistair Mack, middle hitter Michael Ryan, setter Tyler Steponaitis, leftside Luis Rolando Alvarez, middle hitter Hector Oscar Gutierrez and libero Daniel Troyan.
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
7. 630 Volleyball 16-2 (6) 17-18
After testing the 16 Open waters at the Midwest Boys Point Series #1 in Milwaukee last month, where it went 2-3 including losses to MKE Sting 15-1 and MKE Sting 16-2, 630 competed in the 16 Club division at the 2024 SoCal Cup: The Open Championship in Los Angeles last weekend where it went 3-4 and tied for 35th place. 16-2 is 5-10 opposite Jude Caldwell (Downers Grove North), David Diakite, 6-0 middle hitter Will Enlow (Oak Park-River Forest), 5-8 setter Gene Garcia (Benet Academy), 5-10 outside hitter Henry Hullinger (Oak Park-River Forest), 5-10 outside hitter Christopher Korrison (Oak Park-River Forest), 5-10 outside/opposite Alexander Lema (Oak Park-River Forest), 5-8 outside hitter August Leman (Oak Park-River Forest), 5-9 setter Luke Mitra (Benet Academy) and 5-10 opposite Leonardo Nardini (York).
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
Other teams of note (in alphabetical order): Adversity VBC 16 Adidas (14-14), Adversity South 16 Adidas (18-12), Forza Boys 16 Black (19-10), MOD Elite B16 Black (26-12), Ultimate B16 Gold (14-17).
15’s
1. MOD Elite B15 Blue (1) 24-12
MOD opened play at the 2024 SoCal Cup: The Open Championship in Los Angeles last weekend with five consecutive wins before MB Surf ASICS 15-1 (Manhattan Beach, California) stopped the run in Round 2 Pool Play, 25-17, 25-23. Nevertheless, MOD still advanced to the Gold bracket round of 16, where it was derailed by Coast 15 Chris (San Diego, California), 25-17, 25-16, to finish 5-2 and tied for ninth place. Earlier, at the Midwest Boys Point Series #1 in Milwaukee in mid-December, MOD went 4-1 playing in the 16 Open division, falling to 630 Volleyball 16-1, 19-25, 25-20, 15-10, in the quarterfinals. MOD features Jake Brandner, Connor Chung, Trevor Chung, Gloire Emena, Connor Kenning, Colin Kim, Daniel Manko, Adrien Ruzic, Lockewood Sims, Gabriel Walenciak and James Yum.
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
2. Ultimate B15 Gold (2) 26-11
After winning the 15 Club division at the Great Lakes Boys Regional Championships last month at the Wintrust Sports Arena, Ultimate competed in the 2024 BWVC Presented by First Point last weekend at McCormick Place where the Frankfort crew went 6-2 and finished in 19th place in the 15 USA Open division with both losses to Phoenix 15 Gold Jennings (Strongsville, Ohio). Ultimate is 6-1 outside hitter/libero Colin Baikie (Lincoln-Way West), 6-3 rightside/opposite Briggs Corona (Marist), 6-2 middle hitter Kenny Cunz (Lincoln-Way West), 6-0 outside hitter Nicholas Diforti (Lincoln-Way Central), 6-0 setter Braeden Fiore (Lincoln-Way Central), 5-8 setter Sean Gagen (Andrew), 6-2 middle hitter Nicholas Klawitter (Lincoln-Way East), 6-0 outside hitter Gavin Marnul (Lincoln-Way East), 6-2 middle hitter David Neylon (Lincoln-Way West) and 5-7 libero Lawrence Raddatz (Lincoln-Way East).
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
3. Pipeline 15-1 (3) 13-18
Pipeline 15-1 emerged from a more than two-month hiatus to compete in the 2024 SoCal Cup: The Open Championship in Los Angeles last weekend, where the young Schaumburg boys went 2-5 and finished in 33rd place in the 15 Open division. Three of its losses came in day one pool play and two of its four losses were three-setters. Pipeline 15-1 is opposite hitter Ryan Daum (South Elgin), outside hitter Jake Ellenbecker (Peacock Middle School), setter Damian Hernandez (South Elgin), libero John Kane (Barrington), Alex Kinzle, outside hitter Matthew Kravtsov (Barrington), opposite Emilio Martinez (South Elgin), middle blocker Charles Mounts (Schaumburg), outside hitter David Tahara (Schaumburg), middle blocker Adam Trzeciak (Fenton) and middle blocker Frankie Vincent (Frost Middle School).
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
4. Future 15-Elite (4) 14-16
Like Pipeline, Future had not taken the court in anger since the 2023 AAU/JVA Chi-Town Boys Challenge in mid-November before heading out west to the 2024 SoCal Cup: The Open Championship in Los Angeles last weekend. Future also could not shake off the dust, finishing 2-5 and in 39th place in the 15 Open division. Three of its five losses went three sets. Future heads to Milwaukee later this month featuring libero/defensive specialist Jackson Blaha, outside hitter Augustine Cin, opposite Anthony Emlen, opposite George Gnorski, middle hitter Logan Haycraft, setter Abraham Kapcinkhai, outside hitter Ryden Mollison, outside hitter Joaquin Ruiz, setter Jack Shannon and setter Michael Thang.
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
5. 630 Volleyball 15-1 (5) 13-24
After competing in the 16 Open division at the Midwest Boys Point Series #1 in Milwaukee in mid-December, where it went 0-5 including a pair of losses to SPVB B16 Alpha, 630 Volleyball 15-1 participated in the 15 Club division at the 2024 SoCal Cup: The Open Championship in Los Angeles last weekend. Losing a three-way tie at 2-1 in Round 2 pool play to drop into the Silver B bracket, 630 defeated SD Beach 15 Gonzo (San Diego, California), 25-18, 25-15, in its finale to finish 7-1 and in 15th place. 630 is 5-10 outside hitter Nolan Beery, 5-3 setter Gianfranco Crancich, libero Michael Harden, defensive specialist Ilijia Kisic, 6-3 opposite Jack Majernik, 5-11 middle hitter Luke Scott, defensive specialist Aarav Shah, outside hitter Adrian Sudol and 5-8 middle hitter Leo Wencel.
Next up: AAU/JVA Brew City Battle, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 27-28.
Other teams of note (in alphabetical order): Chicago Elite B15 Elite (14-14), Club 1 B15 Skronkstrong (15-13), Forza Boys 15 Black (12-20), MOD Elite B15 Gold (18-20), Sky High Adidas B15-1 (13-17), Ultimate B15 Blue (26-12).
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